Welcome to November!
November is a perfect time to reflect and express gratitude. A time to truly reflect on what brings us joy and happiness. Do you have a moment to send a quick thank you note or email to a staff member at Jay Shideler? A simple note of appreciation can change a staff member's day. Positive connections between home and school foster mutual respect and a stronger learning environment for all. A quick thank you or a bright message always has a positive impact! If you would like to thank a staff member, you can do so using the following link.
๐ Scholastic Book Fair
We are excited to have the Book Fair open during the week of November 18-21. Students will preview the fair during their class time and it will be open for shopping each day from 8:00-4:00 p.m.
Be sure to set up your eWallet where you can add money and allow your student to shop at the
fair. They will have access to the amount you choose to spend and will not be able to go over
that amount. Set up your eWallet and check out more book fair info at the link below.
Cooler Temperatures
The weather changes quickly! Be sure to send a hoodie or jacket to school with your child. We take students outside for recess as long as the temperature is above 20 degrees and it is not raining.
We also have a growing pile of lost and found items in the cafeteria. If you are missing jackets or hoodies at your home, remind your child to check the lost and found the next time they go to lunch.
Dear Blue Jay Family,
Itโs that time of the year where kids are excited about all the holidays and parents are busier than ever. Our school year seems like itโs flying by. I say this every year, but the older I get the faster it goes.
In October, we talked about Bullying Awareness- not only not to do it, but what we can do if we feel like bullying is happening to you or a classmate. One way to determine if you are being bullied is to remember the acronym BOO. Being Mean, On Purpose, Over and Over. I reminded students that itโs really important to let a teacher or myself know if they feel bullying is happening at school, so we can watch for it and have the discussions we need to have. As always, I encourage kids to talk to parents as well. We are a team.
Please know that we have great kids at JS. Even great kids can bully. They may not realize it. We often think that only โbadโ kids bully and they look like Syd from Toy Story. Itโs important to get the whole story so we can help our kids problem solve. I will say that this gets trickier as our kids get older. As more and more kids have access to technology, games and chats, we may not realize what is being said, and so our opportunity to guide them is more difficult and more important. I have talked to our intermediate students about how to take a screenshot, so they can share with you what is happening online.
Another thing that is important to me is that students know how to confidentially let a teacher or staff member know they are feeling bullied. I show the intermediate students several times during the year how to email me, their teacher, or another staff member they are comfortable with to report bullying or any concern they have. As we get closer to middle school, our kids donโt want to be pulled out in front of others -and we get that. Our younger students are usually more comfortable with talking to the teacher or myself directly.
Finally, I want to share some statistics with you (that I didnโt share with kids) that I got from our friends at LifeHouse. Thereโs a lot of great things about technology and games. Thereโs also some scary stuff out there and our kids are not prepared to deal with this themselves. Knowledge is power.
Resource: Here are different statistics from 2021 qualitative and quantitative research among 9โ17-year-olds. https://info.thorn.org/hubfs/Research/2022_Online_Grooming_Report.pdf
The average age a child is being exposed to sexually explicit material online is 7-9.1 in 3 minors consider a connection they made online among their closest friends.
2 in 3 9โ12-year-olds interact with unfamiliar adults online.
1 in 6 9โ12-year-olds have had a romantic or sexual conversation with an online-only contact.
1 in 5 9โ12-year-olds believe itโs common to share nude images with teens they meet online.
85% of minors reported their friends pretend to be older online, typically to access services for which they are too young.
Please know how much I love our kids. If you have questions or concerns please donโt hesitate to reach out to me. Your child is always worth my worry.
Mrs. Kickhaefer
785-339-4615
It's that time of year again! We are planning Gift of Giving to kick off on November 18th as a way to give back to our community. We have narrowed down the organizations that we are supporting this year and focused more on supporting local kids. Here is the breakdown of classes and their organizations:
Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd: Impact Topeka
3rd and 4th: TFI Foster Care & Welfare Services
5th and 6th: Capper Foundation
You will receive a handout of the group's wish list and boxes will be outside the classrooms on November 18th. We will present them to the groups at our assembly on December 19th. Thanks in advance for your generosity! Have a great holiday season!
Katie Elwell,
Gift of Giving Chair
